Flyover collapse claims 15 lives in Hyderabad
At least 15 people were killed and several others injured or trapped under the debris when a flyover under construction collapsed in one of the busiest areas of Hyderabad on Sunday.
By TNN |
HYDERABAD: At least 15 people were killed and several others injured or trapped under the debris when a flyover under construction collapsed in one of the busiest areas of Hyderabad on Sunday.
A 100-feet section of the 2.1-km flyover being built by Gammon India caved in, when the supporting columns gave way during a heavy downpour. Most of the victims are believed to be construction workers and commuters, who took shelter from the rain under the flyover. Around 15 vehicles were crushed under the debris.
Fearing that the rest of the structure might also collapse, police dispersed people from the area around it. Rescue work was hampered by heavy rain and traffic congestion. About 100 vehicles pass under the flyover every minute, according to police.
Chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy reached the site of the accident to review rescue operations. The flyover project, estimated to cost Rs 26 crore, was due to be completed in June 2007, but Gammon said it would be ready only in December, citing traffic congestion as the reason for the delay. The chief minister had earlier expressed displeasure over the delay and blamed the company, saying its construction equipment was causing traffic snarls.
Bridge collapses have exacted a heavy toll in the recent years. More than 100 people were killed just 30 km from Hyderabad in October 2005, when a bridge collapsed at Velugonda just as a train reached it. Thirty-five died when a derelict bridge collapsed on a train in Bhagalpur in December 2006.
A 100-feet section of the 2.1-km flyover being built by Gammon India caved in, when the supporting columns gave way during a heavy downpour. Most of the victims are believed to be construction workers and commuters, who took shelter from the rain under the flyover. Around 15 vehicles were crushed under the debris.
Fearing that the rest of the structure might also collapse, police dispersed people from the area around it. Rescue work was hampered by heavy rain and traffic congestion. About 100 vehicles pass under the flyover every minute, according to police.
Chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy reached the site of the accident to review rescue operations. The flyover project, estimated to cost Rs 26 crore, was due to be completed in June 2007, but Gammon said it would be ready only in December, citing traffic congestion as the reason for the delay. The chief minister had earlier expressed displeasure over the delay and blamed the company, saying its construction equipment was causing traffic snarls.
Bridge collapses have exacted a heavy toll in the recent years. More than 100 people were killed just 30 km from Hyderabad in October 2005, when a bridge collapsed at Velugonda just as a train reached it. Thirty-five died when a derelict bridge collapsed on a train in Bhagalpur in December 2006.
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